sphinxlike means like a sphinx, or like that of a sphinx, especially, not showing passion or emotion; inscrutable. It carries an Arena rating of 1706, earned across 7 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, sphinxlike ranks #80 of 17,104 for Most Storied Words, #3,168 of 17,131 for Scariest Words, #3,537 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #3,542 of 17,124 for Most Sublime Words.
Why “sphinxlike” is a great word
Possessing the enigmatic inscrutability and impassive calm of a mythical sphinx, suggesting hidden depths or unspoken knowledge. From the English noun sphinx (from Latin Sphinx, from Greek Σφίγξ, a mythical creature with a lion's body and a human head, known for its riddles) and the suffix -like, meaning 'having the characteristics of.' Unlike 'expressive,' which openly telegraphs feeling, or 'transparent,' which offers clarity, 'sphinxlike' describes a deliberate, mask-like containment. It is the gambler who betrays nothing when holding a winning hand, the unblinking gaze of a basalt statue in a dusty museum, and the composed silence of someone who knows the answer but will not give it—a studied resistance to the human compulsion to explain.
Etymology
From sphinx + -like.
adj
- Like a sphinx, or like that of a sphinx, especially, not showing passion or emotion; inscrutable.
- Mysterious; scheming; having a deceptive outward appearance.e.g.“Mrs. Mallowe smiled in a superior and Sphinx-like fashion.” — 1889, Rudyard Kipling, “The Education of Otis Yeere”, in Under the Deodars, Boston: The Greenock Press, published 1899, page 21:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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